Furthermore, many consumers display an aversion to purchasing products that are derived from petrochemicals. In some instances, consumers are hesitant to purchase products made from limited non-renewable resources such as petroleum and coal. Other consumers may have adverse perceptions about products derived from petrochemicals being “unnatural” or not environmentally friendly.
Certain alternative materials which are derived from non-petrochemical or renewable resources have been disclosed for use in absorbent articles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,072 to Chao describes a process for preparing a cross-linked polyaspartate superabsorbent material. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,713,460 and 6,444,653, both to Huppe et al., describe a superabsorbent material comprising glass-like polysaccharides. Furthermore, diapers having varying degrees of biodegradability have been disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,504 to Ehret et al. describes a composite structure, which is suitable for use in diapers, comprising a nonwoven manufactured from a polymer derived from lactic acid and a film manufactured from a biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer. PCT application WO 99/33420 discloses a superabsorbent material comprising a renewable and/or biodegradable raw material. However, these diapers and materials tend to have significantly lower performance and/or higher cost than materials derived from petrochemicals. For example, the superabsorbent materials disclosed in WO 99/33420 show a low absorption capacity under load and a low gel strength. A superabsorbent material with low gel strength tends to deform upon swelling and reduce interstitial spaces between the superabsorbent particles. This phenomenon is known as gel-blocking. Once gel-blocking occurs, further liquid uptake or distribution takes place via a very slow diffusion process. In practical terms, gel-blocking increases the susceptibility of the absorbent article to leakage.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article which comprises a polymer derived from renewable resources, where the polymer has specific performance characteristics making the polymer particularly useful in the absorbent article. Ideally, it would be desirable to provide a consumer product including a plurality of absorbent articles comprising said polymer derived from renewable resources and a communication of a related environmental message.